Taylor Swift’s ‘Tortured Poets Department’ Ends Kanye West’s Streak of No. 1 Albums as ‘Vultures 2’ Comes in Second on Billboard 200
Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” is now her longest-running No. 1 album in the United States. The set re-enters No. 1 in its 14th non-consecutive week on the list since its release in late April.
“Tortured” is at No. 1 with 142,000 equivalent album units earned as the first album since Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” to spend at least 14 weeks at the peak, per Luminate. “One Thing” previously hit a total of 19 total non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 in the span of a year.
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Swift’s only immediate threat for the throne was “Vultures 2,” a companion album from Ye, or Kanye West, and Ty Dolla $ign. The latter made its debut at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 107,000 equivalent album units following its release on Aug. 3 (it was originally slated for release on March 8). Collaborators for “Vultures 2” include Lil Wayne, Don Toliver, Kodak Black, Future, and Playboi Carti, among numerous others. The album was supposed to be released earlier this year as a sequel to the former No. 1 holder, “Vultures 1,” which arrived at No. 1 in February with 148,000 units.
Strikingly, “Vultures 2” is the first album from Ye to not immediately debut at No. 1 after a consecutive, 11 album streak of No. 1s. Conversely, Swift’s “Tortured” is the longest-running No. 1 album from a female act since Adele’s “21.”
“Vultures 2” also made an impact on sales (it is the No. 2 top-selling album via Billboard) with 60,500 in its first week. The 16-song set was available in both a standard and clean edition, with Ye’s website also offering an additional five variants for sale (each one with an exclusive studio bonus track per album).
Meanwhile, Chappell Roan’s “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” continues its slow and steady climb up the Top 10, hitting a new peak of No. 4 from its previous No. 3 reign with 64,000 equivalent album units earned. Roan’s “Midwest Princess” has grown in listenership over the summer following the pop singer’s numerous festival appearances over the summer — her latest being Lollapalooza on Aug. 1.
Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” is at No. 4 with 63,000 units, while Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft” is at No. 5 with 57,000 units. Elsewhere, Charli XCX’s “Brat” moves up to No. 6 from No. 9 bolts 9-6 with following the release of the “Guess” remix with Eilish. The “Guess” remix was also wildly popular overseas where the Essex-bred singer earned her first No. 1 song as a main artist on the Official Singles chart.
The remainder of the Top 10 includes Zach Bryan’s “The Great American Bar Scene” at No. 7; Wallen’s “Dangerous: The Double Album” at No. 8; Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” at No. 9 and the “Twisters: The Album” soundtrack rounds out at No. 10.
As for the Hot 100 songs chart, Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” continues to hold atop the list at No. 1 while Post Malone and Morgan Wallen’s “I Had Some Help” is at No. 2. The Top 10 of the list is practically unchanged from previous weeks with Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” and Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” occupying the Top Five.
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